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DiversityJobs Announces 2018 Scholarship Award Winner

We are proud to announce that Daniel Campollo, a psychology student at Teachers College, Columbia University, has won our 2018 DiversityJobs Scholarship award. Daniel hopes that the Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Teachers College will better position him to become an adaptive practitioner. Daniel’s dedication, passion, and intelligence will no doubt allow him to succeed in his career.

Along with Daniel, the other seven finalists, Madi Baughman, Qadir Quddus, Alexander Lee, Victoria Reyes, Kimberly Sabol, Kyndal Murphy, and Shelby Manor, were selected from hundreds of other applicants for their dedication to learning, desire to make a positive impact on the world, and conviction to succeed as professionals. Choosing one winner was an incredibly difficult decision considering the exceptional applicants and quality of their essays.

We want to thank our site visitors and all who voted to help us select a winner. The support shown through positive comments left for these students affirms both their career paths and the wonderful impact they already have on the lives of others.

To apply for the next DiversityJobs Scholarship, visit the scholarship page and check if your school has registered for the program.

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DiversityJobs Announces 2018 Scholarship Finalists – Help Us Choose One Winner!

We are proud to announce the eight finalists for the 2018 DiversityJobs Scholarship award; they include engineering, psychology, special education, journalism and political science, English education, exercise and sport science, and law students. From hundreds of exceptional applications, we feel that these candidates showed the best combination of passion, integrity, and dedication to their chosen fields of study.

Now we need your help in choosing the one scholarship award winner! The final selection process will involve three different factors:

  1.   outside voting (Facebook and other social media options on the left side of the essays)
  2.   comments left by visitors
  3.   the DiversityJobs Scholarship committee’s scoring of the student’s application and essay

The one winner will be announced on Friday, June 15th. Please help us with our selection by voting for your favorite essay (Facebook other social media sharing options on the left side of the essays) and by leaving comments.

Kimberly Sabol, Industrial Engineering

When I was in high school, many people told me that I should study engineering since I was “good at math and science”. I was all over the place, but I did not want to study engineering. While I progressed through high school, I realized I needed to seriously consider my future. I have several relatives who became engineers, but my cousin Sarah was the one who stuck in my head. She was an industrial engineer working as a consultant.

Daniel Campollo, Psychology

One of the biggest moments in life is when the first word is spoken. Achievement of this milestone was particularly significant for my brother, David, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome and did not say “Mom” until he was seven years old. With the help of frequent and intense speech and language interventions, my brother’s ability to verbally communicate transformed from mere grunts to full words and eventually entire phrases.

Kyndal Murphy, Law

As a little girl, I saw my world shatter when my parents divorced. Soon after, the news became worse: I wasn’t able to give my opinion regarding who I should live with, when I could see each parent, or who would have control over me.  Even though my father was an angry and bitter man who despised having to see me and did not love me, I was never able to tell this to a judge.

Victoria Reyes, Special Education

In a matter of speaking, my major chose me. A master’s in special education was something that originally had never even crossed my mind. In 2014, I graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor’s in media arts. A year later, I was offered a job as a summer camp counselor at a nonprofit called Arts for All. It was an arts center that offered various programs for adults with disabilities and kids with mixed abilities.

Shelby Manor, Exercise and Sport Science

Growing up on a farm in rural Wisconsin, I always thought I wanted to work with horses as an adult. Caring for my horses’ nutrition, creating training and exercise programs for the performance horses, and rehabilitating any injured horses were my favorite activities. This dream lasted until the beginning of my sophomore year when I noticed a few things off with my personal health.

Alexander Lee, English Education

My work as a graduate student at Teachers College is inspired by my own educational journey. As a queer Taiwanese American man who grew up in a low-income, single-mother family, teachers were a valuable source of compassion, encouragement, and guidance. I want to provide the same mentorship to other young people. I began to seek out opportunities to teach and mentor underprivileged youth by volunteering in Taiwan as an English teacher in the summer of 2011.

Madi Baughman, Journalism and Political Science

Even from a young age, I always knew I wanted to pursue higher education. While my father never truly completed his college education, my mother got her Bachelor’s degree, and both of them had, and still have, high expectations for me. Not going to college was never an option for me not only because of my unusually high intelligence as a child but also—mainly—because of my independence and passion to do something that mattered.

Qadir Quddus, Civil Engineering

If you asked the majority of teens in today’s world, “What major do you aspire to pursue in college?”, they would not have a definitive answer. But if you asked me the same question when I was eleven years old, I would, without hesitation, answer mechanical or civil engineering. Growing up, I always knew I was going to be an engineer because I always had a passion for cars and buildings. Nothing sparked my curiosity more than those two things.

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Studying Journalism to Raise Awareness, Document Historical Moments, and Help Other Voices to be Heard

Even from a young age, I always knew I wanted to pursue higher education. While my father never truly completed his college education, my mother got her bachelor’s degree, and both of them had, and still have, high expectations for me. Not going to college was never an option for me not only because of my unusually high intelligence as a child but also—mainly—because of my independence and passion to do something that mattered. Without the right preparation through a college education, how would I be able to accomplish something that could touch the lives of others as well as help me feel fulfilled? I’ve always known I had to do something that mattered, something bigger than myself, but I wasn’t exactly sure how to get there.

Fortunately, during my high school experience, I found a way to do just that. At the beginning of my sophomore year, I joined my school’s student-run newspaper, the Jefferson City High School Red and Black. Originally, I was only supposed to be on hand as an extra photographer—sophomores almost never get in, especially not the ones without prior experience in journalism. All I knew was how to write somewhat well, and I had a vague knowledge of how to operate a camera. In the span of just a month, however, I discovered a passion for journalism within me that pushed me to be better in everything I did. Looking back on this, it’s just a minor achievement in the overall timeline of my high school career, but it’s what helped me to discover my true goal and the path I want to take in life.

I have had to face many obstacles to get to where I am now. I am the child of a single mother who has two teenage children and can’t really afford to pay for my college at all. On top of this, I am naturally disadvantaged because I am a woman and also a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, so I can easily be discriminated against. I am in college now because of the hard work I have done to earn scholarships, the saved money from working various jobs as a teenager, and the job I currently have.

For as long as I can remember, one of my goals has always been to create or do something that touched the lives of other people for the better. I’ve found that my passion toward that goal is fulfilled through journalism. When I write, I have a voice and the opportunity to say and do important things with my given platform, and I want to use this platform to the best of my ability. Part of this goal is to make the world a better place, whether that be raising awareness for important issues, documenting important moments in history, or simply allowing other people’s voices to be heard.

We are proud to announce Madi Baughman is one of the current DiversityJobs Scholarship finalists. Vote for her essay (Facebook and other social media sharing options in left column) and/or leave comments of support to help us with the selection process.

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A Passion for Cars and Buildings Inspired a Career in Civil Engineering

If you asked the majority of teens in today’s world what is the major they aspire to pursue in college, they would not have a definitive answer. But if you asked me the same question when I was eleven years old, I would answer, without hesitation, mechanical or civil engineering. Growing up, I always knew I was going to be an engineer because I always had a passion for cars and buildings. Nothing sparked my curiosity more than these two things.

As a kid, whenever I would see a sports car on TV, I would be amazed at the sight of it. Whenever I drove by the New York skyscrapers, the size and poise of the structures baffled me. I would always ask myself how could someone make such marvelous objects. Curiosity was my motivation.

For me, the choice was always between automotive or civil engineering. The day when I knew for certain which one I would choose was the first day I came to the United States. I was originally born in Uzbekistan, a nation in which my family sought refuge from the rapid growth of the Taliban in our former homeland of Afghanistan. With my dad being a government official, Uzbekistan was a beacon of hope.

Luckily, in Uzbekistan, we were chosen through the immigration system to come to the United States. I clearly remember my first day here: I walked out of the airport in New York City, and with just a quick scanning of my surroundings, I fell into a trance. I never thought I would see in real life the buildings I had always seen in movies. It is an unforgettable feeling. I also remember the amazing experience of driving through the Brooklyn Bridge the first time. That’s when I knew for sure what my passion was and what I wanted to do for a living.

No matter what, my goal was to transmit the same experience and feelings I had that day in New York to my friends in Uzbekistan and my family in Afghanistan. That day, I knew that driving by those big building and beautiful bridges was a privilege that not every kid gets to experience. This is why I chose civil engineering as my major; moreover, I want to contribute to society by inspiring others the same way that those engineers inspired me as a foreign child.

The biggest challenges were yet to come, however. Being an engineer is much easier said than done. Coming into a foreign country with a totally different culture from my former one and with zero knowledge of the English language and customs was tough. I came into the local school system at the end of fifth grade. So I had a lot of catching up to do in terms of education. Through countless hours of hard work and dedication, however, I picked up English rather quickly and, by eighth grade, began enrolling in classes with American-born students. Thereafter, I was able to not only cope with the academic system but also excel and get into honors classes in high school.

My work ethic and drive took me beyond what I could have imagined and made my high school years a success. I became the captain of my soccer and wrestling team while progressing academically. Starting from only one honors class as a freshman, I showed promise in all of my courses and leveled up to more difficult classes. By the time I was a senior, I was elected by my peers to be the diversity coordinator of the student government in our school and was taking all honor courses as well as three AP courses, the highest math and science classes that our school offered.

From humble beginnings, I learned, if only one thing, that hard work can get anyone anywhere. With these principles, I enrolled at Penn State University, a nationally ranked engineering school. Graduating with a civil engineering degree from PSU will be the completion of a childhood dream. It would mean that all of the struggles my family and I went through and the countless hours of work I put in finally paid off.

We are proud to announce Qadir Quddus is one of the current DiversityJobs Scholarship finalists. Vote for his essay (Facebook and other social media sharing options in left column) and/or leave comments of support to help us with the selection process.

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Aspiring Writing Teacher Wants Students to Transmit Thoughts across Borders, Generations, and Cultures

My work as a graduate student at Teachers College is inspired by my own educational journey. As a queer Taiwanese American man who grew up in a low-income, single-mother family, teachers were a valuable source of compassion, encouragement, and guidance. I want to provide the same mentorship to other young people.

I began to seek out opportunities to teach and mentor underprivileged youth by volunteering in Taiwan as an English teacher in the summer of 2011. Three years ago, I returned to Taiwan and extended my efforts to expand opportunities for youth through education with my experience working as a Fulbright Scholar at He Pu Elementary School.

While teaching with Fulbright, I also partnered with National Quemoy University to develop my own creative writing program for college students built on in-depth, individualized feedback and, after only one year of experience, won a second Fulbright to expand the program to university campuses across Taiwan. While specific to the schools and regions I worked in, these experiences have not only given me a deeper sense of how teachers can make a sustainable and positive difference in their local communities through the simple act of mentorship and teaching but also opened exciting paths that I continue to explore at Teachers College.

Perhaps the first important turning point in my life that led me to pursue a career in teaching was my decision to volunteer at Everett Middle School. At Everett, I had the opportunity to work directly with a small group of underprivileged students and to engage them in academic and enrichment activities. During each class, we read short pieces from writers of different social, cultural, and national backgrounds. I chose this approach because my students, if not immigrants themselves, come from immigrant families. I wanted them to recognize and value their own heritage and see it reflected in the literature we studied.

The best part about working at Everett was getting to know the stories, interests, and passions of my students. As a result, I developed a close and constructive relationship with them that built on the process of recognizing and respecting each other’s cultural backgrounds. In retrospect, I believe these experiences taught me two things: every student has experiences worth sharing, and it is incredibly important for teachers to build lessons that honor those experiences and backgrounds.

These experiences have been crucial to my development as a mentor, a teacher, and a person. I will use this scholarship as an opportunity to make a difference not just for myself but also for underprivileged students who never had this kind of pedagogical experience. As I pursue teaching, I want my students to find empowerment in their writing skills and in education in general. I want them to love the process of writing so they can have the power to witness something, process it with words, and share it with someone else. I want them to love the communication through writing that enables us to transmit thoughts across borders, generations, and cultures. I want to continue this work as a mentor and teacher, and I see my work at Teachers College as part of a long journey encouraging people to find their own power as well as their place in society.

We are proud to announce Alexander Lee is one of the current DiversityJobs Scholarship finalists. Vote for his essay (Facebook and other social media sharing options in left column) and/or leave comments of support to help us with the selection process.

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Wants to be Part of Students’ Growth, Academic Success, and Educational Experience

Essay Transcript:

In a matter of speaking, my major chose me. A master’s in special education was something that originally had never even crossed my mind. In 2014, I graduated from the University of Arizona with a bachelor in media arts. A year later, I was offered a job as a summer camp counselor at a nonprofit called Arts for All. It was an arts center that offered various programs for adults with disabilities and kids with mixed abilities.

After a few months, I was offered the opportunity to start teaching my own classes in film studies, even though I had no teaching experience or training. But I jumped at the opportunity, and soon, I was teaching film and dance classes for both adults and children. This is when I discovered I had a talent and a passion for teaching. Unfortunately, the nature of the arts center as an after-school program for kids offered little opportunity to work full time, and I had to take on a second part-time job to support myself.

I got a job as a TA in a special education classroom at a middle school. I loved it, but, sadly, it was only for a temporary position. In 2017, I got a job working in a studio at a news station. Although it was an exciting opportunity at first, I quickly discovered there was little chance for a long-term position in the studio. The future of television news is swiftly shifting to automated technology, eliminating the need for personnel to operate equipment. However, teaching was something that I could see myself doing as a long-term career. I did my research, and I found an accelerated master’s program in special education at my alma mater. And that is how I found my major.

One of the biggest obstacles that I had to overcome while working at Arts for All was being forced to learn quickly and without prior experience how to teach. Planning curriculum, writing lesson plans, managing a classroom, and also working with people that have different learning abilities and physical limitations. I’ve acquired a good amount of experience, and I still have much to learn. This master’s program is going to give me the education and training that I need to work outside of an art’s setting and in an academic setting.

After completing this master’s program, I will not only graduate with a master’s degree in special education but I would be certified to teach in an Arizona school. For me, this would mean the opportunity to work a full-time job in special education as either a lead teacher or program coordinator and have a job with longevity. But, most importantly, I’ll have a job that is rewarding to me.

I’ve been privileged so far to work with kids of different backgrounds and special needs in my community. I’ve grown to care deeply for those kids, and I want to be a teacher because I want to be a part of their growth, their academic success, and their education for many years to come.

We are proud to announce Victoria Reyes is one of the current DiversityJobs Scholarship finalists. Vote for her essay (Facebook and other social media sharing options in left column) and/or leave comments of support to help us with the selection process.

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Envisions Pioneering New Research to Help Bilingual Students Communicate More Efficiently

One of the biggest moments in life is when the first word is spoken. The achievement of this milestone was particularly significant for my brother, David, who was diagnosed with Down syndrome and did not say “Mom” until he was seven years old. With the help of frequent and intense speech and language interventions, my brother developed the ability to verbally communicate, which transformed from mere grunts to full words and eventually entire phrases. My experience growing up with a brother who has special needs motivates me to pursue graduate-level training and an eventual career in the field as a speech-language pathologist and researcher.

English is not my parents’ first language; consequently, I was usually the translator during IEP meetings and doctor’s appointments. Bearing the responsibility of translating for my family at a young age, I became frustrated that professionals were not equipped with the necessary training to meet the needs of my multicultural family. Although translating used to be an overwhelming responsibility for me, now it fuels my motivation to become a bilingual practitioner so I can help relieve some of the communication roadblocks that often burden multicultural families in the United States.

The Communication Sciences and Disorders program at Teachers College, Columbia University, will better position me to become an adaptive practitioner. As a first-generation Hispanic male, I can reflect on my family’s experiences, such as immigration, the language learning curve, and the difficulties accessing services because of language barriers. These experiences will not only provide a unique insight into realities that many clients face but also raise cultural awareness. This is not material that textbooks can teach, and equipping the future clinicians in my program with the understanding of this reality is crucial to progress cultural competency.

The clinical program, research, and community service opportunities at Teachers College will serve as my pillars to become a researcher, a leader of educational practice, and a professional who is ready to meet the needs of multicultural families. My experiences have taught me firsthand how our encounters with perceived disabilities help make us more compassionate, understanding members of society. Reflecting on the impact these encounters have had on me, I hope to make a change by pioneering new research strategies to help children, like David and bilingual students, communicate more efficiently so they may flourish in their lives. Through my boundless enthusiasm, I envision myself graduating and channeling my passion for making a difference not only in individual lives but also the community at large through Teachers College, Columbia University.

We are proud to announce Daniel Campollo is one of the current DiversityJobs Scholarship finalists. Vote for his essay (Facebook and other social media sharing options in left column) and/or leave comments of support to help us with the selection process.

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Fighting against Sexism as an Industrial Engineering Student

When I was in high school, many people told me that I should study engineering since I was “good at math and science”. I was all over the place, but I did not want to study engineering. While I progressed through high school, I realized I needed to seriously consider my future.

I have several relatives who became engineers, but my cousin Sarah was the one who stuck in my head. She was an industrial engineer working as a consultant. Her work appealed to me because she got to travel and manage projects for a living. This is the reason why I decided to study industrial engineering.

After completing my first semester of college, I knew that engineering was where I was supposed to be. That semester, I enrolled in an industrial engineering first-year seminar. This seminar confirmed that industrial engineering was the right field for me. Both the consulting and manufacturing angles of the field were appealing, and I was excited for my next four years.

As a proud Asian American woman, being in the minority was not a new concept for me. Though I enrolled in the college of engineering, I had read that industrial engineering was the field of engineering with the highest percentage of females. Yet I still was struck by how few girls were in my classes. It was at this point that the realization set in that I had a long road ahead of me.

Even now, two years later, I am in awe every time I step into one of my engineering classes and see that the male to female ratio is approximately 15:1. I have experienced sexist recruiters that immediately seem put off when they see that I am a girl. I have sat through interviews where it is clear that my gender is a factor for the interviewer.

Currently, I’m working as a project engineer for a manufacturing company as a college co-op. When I speak to contractors or meet them onsite, it is clear that my being a female bothers them. What really blows me away is the judgment of not only men but also women. I have found that female contractors judge just as much—if not more than male contractors. I do not know why, but apparently, they believe that my gender equals incompetence.

It’s hard to justify myself to every peer, professor, and professional. I am just as competent as male engineers. I did the same work, took the same exams, and got the same education. The only difference between male engineers and me is that I had to fight harder. Some may argue, but I stand firm in my belief. I have had to fight every moment since I made that decision to study industrial engineering. People have been telling me it will be hard and unfair, and it has been at times. However, this also makes success, which is what I always aim for, that much more rewarding.

We are proud to announce Kimberly Sabol is one of the current DiversityJobs Scholarship finalists. Vote for her essay (Facebook and other social media sharing options in left column) and/or leave comments of support to help us with the selection process.

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Studying Law to Give Children a Chance to Voice their Opinions before Judges

As a little girl, I saw my world shatter when my parents divorced. Soon after, the news became worse: I wasn’t able to give my opinion regarding whom I should live with, when I could see each parent, or who would have control over me. Even though my father was an angry and bitter man who despised having to see me and did not love me, I was never able to tell this to a judge. The custody decision was made without my consent because I was considered too young to have a valid opinion. The law focused on the comfort of my parents, not on me.

I grew up angry about how I was treated by the law—I felt like I didn’t matter because of my age. I knew I wanted to work with children’s rights under the law when I grew up, but at that point, I still had many years left in school. Yet I was smart and worked very hard, so I decided to skip some grades in school and graduate faster. I was able to complete all three years of middle school in one year, so I entered high school at age eleven. Then I felt that high school and college were extremely similar and repetitive, so when I was eleven, I walked into my principal’s office and requested to attend college the following year.

I had to meet with city officials, district officials, board members, college board members, faculty, and every authority imaginable. They questioned my maturity, my discipline, and my ability to remain safe on a college campus. All these people listened to my thoughts, my intelligence, and my determination, and I was able to convince them all that I could handle it. I became the youngest person to attend—and then graduate—college in my city.

I never allowed my age to get in the way of my dreams, and I still don’t. I began working at Chili’s Grill & Bar on my sixteenth birthday (the youngest age you can legally work there). I was immediately promoted to a training position and then to quality assurance specialist in the kitchen. Even now that I am almost eighteen, I am still the youngest employee there.

I hope to graduate from law school in three years (when I am twenty) and shortly after begin working as a child advocate. I want to give kids a chance to express their opinions before a judge. Because my experience as a kid shaped my life, I want other kids in situations similar to mine to have a voice. Age is a matter of biology, not maturity, and I will work every day so the law sees it this way, too.

We are proud to announce Kyndal Murphy is one of the current DiversityJobs Scholarship finalists. Vote for her essay (Facebook and other social media sharing options in left column) and/or leave comments of support to help us with the selection process.

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Hopes to Serve Cancer Patients Experiencing Physical or Mental Effects from Treatment

Growing up in a farm in rural Wisconsin, I always thought I wanted to work with horses as an adult. Caring for my horses’ nutrition, creating training and exercise programs for the performance horses, and rehabilitating any injured horses were my favorite activities. This dream lasted until the beginning of my sophomore year when I noticed a few things off with my personal health. As a result of my declining health, I became very interested in human health, and by the end of the sophomore year of high school, I was diagnosed with cancer.

For the next year, I was in and out of the hospital and surgical room hoping reality was a dream with a positive outcome. High school was a struggle as battling cancer was a hard situation for myself and others to grasp. After a year, the treatment worked, and to this day, I am cancer free. My battle with cancer has taught me a lot about myself and how I want to impact the world. There are always going to be difficulties to face in life, however, the most important part of overcoming those difficulties lies in the response. I used my battle with cancer to gain strength and motivation for my future. I continued to participate in the activities I enjoyed even when they became difficult because I knew they were vital for both my physical health and mental well-being.

Managing high school while battling cancer was difficult, but I used this situation to give me an even greater motivation to succeed in college. I have maintained my GPA while holding jobs, even physically challenging ones. All of my experiences have molded me into a stronger and more driven person. My experience with cancer also taught me how precious life truly is.  I want to make a positive difference in the lives of people by helping others find meaning the same way I found strength, hope, and resilience through motivating physical activities.

During my cancer treatments, the oncologist’s knowledge delivery and compassion largely influenced my seemingly drastic career change from equine to human health. The hospital setting opened my eyes to a potential career in rehabilitation within the healthcare field. As I began evaluating different careers, occupational therapy was a perfect fit for me because it combined the rehabilitation and mental health components that have fascinated me since my cancer diagnosis. The oncologist offered guidance and assurance in a time of need, and I would be honored to be able to return the favor to others through occupational therapy. In the future, as an occupational therapist, I want to encourage others to reach their goals, include the patient in the treatment process, and improve their physical and mental well-being through meaningful activity.

After I finish graduate school, my primary goal is to begin working within an oncology setting and be of service to cancer patients experiencing any physical or mental effects from the treatment or treatment process. As I have experienced first-hand, offering hope and a sense of normalcy during a time of need is critical to the recovery process, which I want to be a part of. I sincerely enjoy how holistic and all-encompassing the field of occupational therapy is for an individual. Helping others find useful activities to bring hope and motivation during tough life experiences is something I am now dedicated to. I want to make a difference and genuinely believe I have the motivation, determination, maturity, and resilience to make a positive change not only within the field of occupational therapy but also in the lives of patients.

We are proud to announce Shelby Manor is one of the current DiversityJobs Scholarship finalists. Vote for her essay (Facebook and other social media sharing options in left column) and/or leave comments of support to help us with the selection process.